Amazing things go on inside this nondescript building
St Raph's Voice has sent Wembley Matters this description of recent events at their community centre that have caused disquiet in the community,
Children with nowhere to go after school. Vulnerable adults suddenly cut off from support. Mothers left without a safe, familiar space to meet, share advice, or ask for help. All of this has happened earlier this week on the St Raphael’s estate, where the resident association community centre locks were changed without notice.
Overnight, this vital hub was closed in a place with a lack of community spaces and provisions. Homework clubs stopped in an area with low educational attainment levels. Support sessions for vulnerable people ended abruptly. Essential community activity ceased with no notice. In an estate with very limited communal facilities, residents have been left with nothing to replace it.
The Chair of the Resident Association, Hinda Sharif was kicked out mid-community session by a contractor sent by the council with no communication or explanation. The justification given was fire safety.
Residents understand the importance of safety and would never argue against urgent action where there is genuine risk. However, at the time the locks were changed, no fire safety checks had been carried out to ascertain risk, and no evidence or documentation of completed inspections was shared with residents or the Resident Association. No findings were presented and no timeline for inspections or reopening have been communicated.
Despite repeated requests for information and clarity on when the doors might reopen, Labour-led Brent Council has not been forthcoming. This lack of transparency has compounded distress in a community already dealing with the sudden loss of essential support.
The St Raphael’s community room is not just a venue. It is a lifeline for children who rely on educational support and homework clubs, for vulnerable adults experiencing isolation, and for mothers navigating financial and emotional pressures. The Resident Association provides community-led support that is local, trusted, and accessible - exactly the kind of grassroots infrastructure councils often claim to value.
St Raphael’s is also an estate with a proud history of resilience and achievement. It is the former home of George the Poet, Raheem Sterling, and content creator Chunkz, clear examples of what can emerge when communities are supported rather than sidelined. Closing one of the few remaining shared spaces on the estate without notice sends a stark message about how today’s residents are valued, and what investment in future potential really looks like in practice.
Brent frequently speaks about community power, participation, and wealth-building. Yet this action exposes a troubling gap between rhetoric and reality. Community power cannot exist where communities are locked out of the spaces that allow them to organise, support one another, and thrive.
No suitable alternative space has been offered while the room remains closed. There seems to have been no suggestions of other spaces or due concern for where activities can continue in the meantime. And there appears to have been little consideration of the impact on those most affected.
“This is not how you treat communities who rely on this support service,” says Asif Zamir, resident of St.Raphael’s Estate and former Chair of the Resident Association. “It shows a disdain and complete lack of regard or respect. On the one hand they say it’s for resident safety, and on the other they are causing considerable harm.”
How decisions are made matters. When Brent Council acts without communication, without evidence, and without accountability, they reveal what they truly think of the communities affected. The failure to respond transparently when asked for information only reinforces that message.
Residents are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for honesty, respect, and basic fairness. If safety is the concern, then evidence should be shared, timelines made clear, and interim solutions provided so that children, vulnerable adults, and families are not left without support.
If community power is more than a slogan, then it must start with listening - not locking the doors as if the communities affected are irrelevant.
I understand that an apology has been made by the council regarding the poor communications involved in this action. However, keys to the new locks have not been handed over and no remedial works have taken place since Monday.
